Scare In The Rain
by Kiyoshi-san
Summary: Neji and Tenten were always teammates. Tenten always had a special eye for her stoic teammate. Neji however did not feel the same way. That was until Tenten was injured on a mission. NejixTenten Multiple Chapters
1. New Feelings

**A/N: Ok, this is my first fic but I think its coming along well so far. I usually find that Neji is a little too OOC in most NejixTenten fics so I tried to keep him as true to the anime as possible. I think Tenten is a little OOC but I think its not too bad. Anyway please review, this should be a few chapter fic, maybe 5, maybe more. Enjoy:)**

Scare In The Rain

By: Kiyoshi-san

Chapter 1: New Feelings

The doll that was pinned to the tree with string but the bulk of its weight was pinned by the eight or so kunai stuck through the straw doll. A young kunoichi stood about 30 feet from the doll. She was panting slightly from her exertions but she was pleased with the result. She was wearing baggy black training pants, blue sandals, and a pink chinese dojo style shirt without sleeves. Her brown hair was tied into two buns with a few clumps of hair sticking out due to her training, and a black hitai-ate (Forehead Protector) tied over her forehead. She wiped a small collection of sweat from her forehead and stood up straight. The kunai that she had thrown were sticking into the targets pinned up on the doll. One target on each hand, each foot, the chest, and the head. The chest and head each had two and one for each hand and foot.

_Well thats it for the warmup..._

She pulled out a small block of wood and twirled it at a speed that betrayed her appearance. The block of wood instantly clicked and unfolded into a three foot staff. She twirled it over her head and stabbed it in front of her, She then stebbed back slightly and spun it again and struck an imaginary enemy in the chin, sending him skyward. She then jumped and used the end of the staff to spear her enemy in the stomach. She landed gracefully and parried three attacks from her imaginary enemy. She then countered with a flurry of stab strikes into her enemy's gut. She stopped, brought the staff to a ready position and spun it quickly, folding it up into its compact form. Little did she know that she was being watched.

In a humble sized dark room an alarm buzzed annoyingly. It rang for about 10 seconds before a taped hand reached out and slammed it into silence. A young man sat up from the bed and rubbed his head. His black hair slumped over his head untidily hiding his white colorless eyes. He crawled out of bed and hobbled into the shower in the next room. He got out after 10 minutes in a towel and quickly re-entered his room. He got dressed in his normal black shorts with a white vest over it. He adjusted the tape on his leg and his arm. He flipped his hair back over his head and dried it furiously with a towel. He then took a small white piece of cloth and tied his hair into a small pony tail at the end to keep it in place. He replaced the bandages on his forhead and then put on his black hitai-ate. He strapped his kunai pouch onto the back left side of his waist and left his room.

He entered a long hallway with white pillars and turned right into a large estate. He entered a large dining hall to find a tray with food sitting at the table for him. He sat down and ate the scrambled eggs and toast without complaint. He finished his meal quickly and left the house quietly. He passed a few others with similar white eyes and nodded politely to them. He then took off to his team's normal training spot.

He arrived within a few minutes and landed in a tree above the small cleared area that his team used for meetings and spars. He was surprised to see someone else there and decided to watch. She was a teammate of his and she was doing quite well with her staff. She went through a fairly simple kata and then destroyed her imaginary opponent with a quick flurry of staff blows. It was then that he spoke up.

"Not bad Tenten, but I think its too simple for you to improve with your staff."

Tenten, who was quite oblivious to her teammate's presence jumped a mile.

"NEJI! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU!"

She flipped six kunai at him with rapid speed but he merely jumped down from the tree. He had a slight grin on his face. She got so angry when he did that, and it always amused him.

"Now, now, that could have seriously injured me..."

This just infuriated her even more. His cool demeanor was one thing, but the fact that he was probably the most talented genin in all of Konoha just made his sarcastic attitude even more infuriating to her. He did have those moments when he wasn't sarcastic though, and it was those moments which she lived for.

"You are here early, couldn't sleep?"

She pondered for a moment why exactly she was here and then quickly remembered that she could not tell him, or anyone for that matter.

"Yah, I figured that if I was going to be up, might as well make use of the time, rather than just sit around."

He smiled. Neji hated laziness when it came to training. He was lazy in almost every other aspect, but when it came to missions and training he worked as hard as he could in order to be the best he could be. He looked around at their battered training ground. It had taken such a serious beating over the years. The ground permanantly sloped into a mini crater from the time when Lee first learned the Omote Renge (Initial Lotus). The trees had multiple bark wounds from the countless times Tenten used them as targets for her own training. However the newest addition to the training ground was Neji's own work. While the larger crater covered almost all of the training area it was very shallow. Right in the center was a smaller but much deeper crater created by Neji's Hakke Shou: Kaiten.

Tenten watched Neji as he looked around at their training ground. She liked how he always looked so serious. Well almost always. She caught glimpses of a more compassionate side at times. Mostly when he was asleep or not aware that anyone was watching him. The first time she saw it, she wasn't sure if it had actually happened. In just a fraction of a second, when he had turned to look at her, she saw something in that icey stare, something that wasn't normal.

As Neji examined the field he noticed Tenten was just idly staring at him. So he decided to confront the situation with a much more sarcastic way.

"So, did I not comb my hair correctly or do you see something you like?"

He pushed that very simple button that would set off any girl, no matter what her true feelings were.

Her gaze shifted from slight attraction to righteous fury in under 2 seconds flat and immediately she exploded.

"NEJI! YOU BETTER RUN BECAUSE IF I CATCH YOU, THERE WILL BE PAIN!"

Neji immediately jumped into the trees with a devilish grin. He loved setting her off like this because it was so easy and simple, and produced such entertaining results. Plus, she looked cute when she was angry. He was not often the source of her smiles which he adored but he wasn't sure if he could ever actually get her to laugh on his own. Thus he resorted to making her angry, which was much more fun in the end anyway.

He fled like a coward knowing he could never really hit Tenten unless absolutely necessary. He dodged another group of kunai and activated his Byakugan. He didn't want to take any needless injuries just because he was being careless.

Gai and Lee waited impatiently at the meeting point at the gates of Konoha.

"Gai-sensei, what in the world could be keeping them?"

"Ah, the fountain of youth is very prominent in both of them, they are probably off somewhere doing things frowned upon by others my age!"

Gai turned to look at Lee as he finished talking only to find Lee's reaction to be a bit unexpected. He looked as though he had been hit in the face with a brick. He was in absolute shock and couldn't believe that his respected sensei was implying something so vulgar.

Neji and Tenten stopped on top of Ichiraku as Neji looked at the sun.

"We are late..."

Tenten stopped suddenly as she was about to jump at him and looked at him questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"Our meeting with Gai and Lee..."

Tenten's eyes widened in surprise. Gai-sensei always made a huge deal if they were late. Fortunately she was never late on her own. Neji was usually with her and it lessened the explosion that always emanated from Gai-sensei.

"Come on, we should hurry..."

Neji, kicked off with a huge burst of speed and hopped from roof to roof with Tenten close behind.

They arrived a few minutes later to find Lee pacing impatiently and Gai counting what seemed to be the clouds in the sky. Upon seeing them Lee, as usual, nearly flipped out. "TENTEN-CHAN, NEJI-KUN" He then was about to glomp the two of them when a cold glare from Neji stopped him cold. He stopped in mid-pair and fell promptly to the ground which brought forth a sigh from both of them. It was then that Gai rounded on them.

"Where have the two of you been! You are 358 seconds late!"

"Well...um..." Tenten struggled to come up with an excuse that her sensei would believe. Neji, as usual came to her rescue.

"Training. Never enough training." Neji of course sounded colmpletely truthful and looked Gai right in the eye. He knew that if he could stand to look at his weirdo of a sensei long enough, he would buy it. Which, of course, is exactly what happened.

"Ah, the fountain of youth is strong in the both of you! As expected of my wonderful pupils! Off we go!" With that, He jumped off into the woods with Lee right behind him.

Tenten looked to Neji with an exasperated face. Neji however didn't return the look. He had given up being tired when it came to Gai and Lee. He looked back to Tenten, wondering why she wasn't going ahead of him.

"Tenten, I am rear guard..." Tenten was snapped out of her slight reverie of admiration over the Hyuuga prodigy and quickly recovered.

"Right, sorry..." With that she sped off after her sensei and teammate with Neji close behind her, Byakugan activated to watch for ambushes from behind them.

After half a day of travelling, Gai stopped them for a bit of rest and strategizing. After they were all assembled, Gai pulled out a map and pointed out a small X on it near the edge of the Fire country. "This is where we are. We are going to use this spot as our base camp while we carry out this mission. Now, our mission is thus. We are to scout out the border for possible shinobi movement from allied countries, chief of our suspects are Kusagakure (Hidden Grass) and Iwagakure (Hidden Rock). Lee and Neji will be making our shelter for this mission. Just two buildings should do. Tenten you will be on scouting the area with me. Your eye for traps will help me greatly."

Almost immediately Lee jumped up in excitement and energy. "Neji, I challenge you! I will make a better house than you because mine will be a tree house!" He jumped off into the woods with the blazing look in his eyes which Gai admired so much.

Neji was left standing with the rest of his team with an exasperated look. Just watching Lee irritated him, and now it tired him out. He sighed and walked off into the woods casually, looking for any materials that he could use with his Byakugan.

Tenten grinned a little as Neji walked off. Lee's exuberance pissed him off more than anyone in the village. She turned towards her sensei to find him smiling at her. "Still haven't told him yet have you?" She immediately turned red. She had not told anyone of how she felt about Neji. Though, she didn't think it would take forever for someone to figure it out. Gai got into his 'nice guy pose' which kind of broke the ice but he quickly got back into a serious mood. "How long are you going to wait? You know how popular he is, how long do you think it will be before he finds someone?" She looked at the ground. She didn't really know. She had always hoped that Neji declined every girl in Konoha because he liked her. But, the more she thought about it, the more foolish it seemed to her. "I... shouldn't we be scouting sensei?" Gai sighed. He respected her attempt to change the subject and nodded. "Allright, let's go."

Tenten and Gai returned about 4 hours later to find two very different huts. One was a nice tree house which Lee was sitting proudly on top of. The other was a strange dome like thing in the ground. It looked like some sort of shabby dome. Neji was sitting comfortably on top. His eyes were closed and his forehead protector was drawn over his eyes, probably to keep Lee from bugging him more than usual.

"Well Tenten, which would you like to stay in?" Gai winked ever so slightly at Tenten, knowing exactly which she would choose no matter how dingy it looked. Staying with Lee was not even possible for Tenten. She would probably kill Lee if left alone with him for too long.

Trying to hide her slightly pink cheeks she pretended to think about it for a minute then decidedly said, "I will stay with Neji, I think." Lee nearly exploded from happiness. He didn't care who he roomed with. He knew it wasn't with Neji and that made his day. Neji breathed a sigh of relief. Spending the night or even more than one was way too much of a test for his patience. He nodded his approval as usual and then resumed his meditation.

Tenten was relieved that Neji was meditating and Lee was too far away to see her face. She walked into the small dome and gasped. It was extravagant inside. The outside was very deceiving. The hut had the nicest wooden furniture she had ever seen. She had no idea how Neji had managed it but when she sat down on her bed she stopped caring. It was probably the most comfortable bed on the planet. As she was laying back she felt sleep over take her. She was still fully clothed and only partially covered by the strange sheets.

Neji came in about an hour and a half later. He looked to Tenten who apparently didn't realize there was only one bed. He sighed and walked over to her. He had put a small window on the hut to let light in and it was now that he was glad he did. The moon was just beginning to creep through the window and it was just barely beginning to creep into the window. The moon was shining onto her face and she looked very peaceful. He adjusted the leaves which he had crafted into a makeshift sheet over her and removed the ties in her hair so that she could sleep a bit more comfortably. He had never seen her with her hair down, and it was like looking at her for the first time again. For the first time in nearly three years of being on Team Gai, he went to sleep with thoughts of Tenten clouding his dreams.


	2. The Mission

**A/N: Ok this chapter is a little shorter but I like how it turned out. Reviews are welcomed as usual. I didn't put a lot of detail into the battle because, well its not an action fic… Anyway enjoy:)**

Chapter 2: The Mission

Neji awoke just as the sun was starting to come up as he usually did. He got up off of the floor and stretched. He was using his vest as a pillow, and that was all he had to work with. His chest was slightly scraped from the dirt floor of their little hut. He stepped out of the hut and shook the dirt off of his vest. He then jumped off into the trees to try and find a small stream or river.

About 20 minutes later Tenten opened her eyes slowly. She sat up and ran her hand through her hair and scratched her head. 'I took out my hair ties last night?' She thought to herself and tried to remember what had happened after she entered the hut. After a minute or so she gave up and looked around for her hair ties. After locating them, she tied her hair back into their respective buns and left the hut.

Neji was just returning from his small bath and had his clothes over his shoulder revealing his toned chest. Tenten blushed slightly and looked at the ground quickly. Neji looked to her and saw the hint of pink around her cheeks and grinned slightly.

"There is a small waterfall in the woods a little ways from here…" He put his undershirt on and then his vest and jumped up to Lee and Gai's tree house, leaving Tenten alone with her thoughts.

She sat down on a small log and began checking her equipment. She hadn't taken any of her weapons off the night before but she was mainly just busying herself to keep her mind occupied. 'He's my teammate and we are on a mission. That's all, nothing more… nothing more…'

Moments later Neji, Lee, and Gai jumped down from the tree house and walked over to her. It was Gai who spoke up first. "Ok, today we will be dividing into groups of two again. However things will be a bit different than before. Neji will be with Tenten and Lee will be with me this time around.

Tenten stiffened while Neji breathed a sigh of relief. Tenten began to panic inside of her head. 'Now what do I do? What if he saw my reaction earlier? What if…he find outs…?' She glared at Gai for a moment but he seemed unaffected. He merely smiled and winked at her. She scowled. She looked to Neji to try and get some sort of clue of how he felt about the pairings. She smacked herself mentally a moment later. 'Of course he is pleased about this… He probably thinks I am far less annoying than Lee or Gai…'

Neji couldn't be happier. He was not going to have to work with Lee or Gai which meant some peace and quiet to try and figure out what had happened to him last night. The downside was of course that Tenten would be around, but she usually didn't bug him too much. However he was broken out of his reverie by Lee's exuberant yells of joy a moment later. "Off we go!" Gai yelled as he jumped off into the woods with Lee close behind as usual.

Neji turned to Tenten with his game face on, which wasn't very different from his normal face but in his head there was a difference. "All right, I will take point for a bit then we will switch." With that he jumped off into the trees.

Tenten sighed. As usual it wasn't a question, he was the team leader when Gai-sensei was not around so he expected everyone to listen to him. She took off soon after and kept her eyes and ears open for any ambushes from behind.

They had been traveling for about half an hour when Neji stopped and signaled for Tenten to do likewise. "I see three rock shinobi. One 40 meters to the northeast, one 25 meters to our northwest, and the last one is 45 meter north of us. Pretty bad ambush if you ask me…"

Tenten grinned slightly. Neji's smartass attitude made him a pretty funny guy if he wanted to be, which was rare. "So Mr. plan man, what do you want to do?"

Neji quirked a brow as he turned towards his teammate. 'Mr. plan…man…?' He recomposed himself and then looked back at the situation. "Ok, we are going to let them spring their trap."

Tenten nearly fell out of the tree. "What!"

"Look, its quite simple. I see no wires, no explosive tags. They are just going to jump out and use their positions to win the battle, which means that if we know where they will come from, then it will be easy to beat them. But just in case, we will take out the closest one from us first. If we can do it quietly we can catch them off guard."

Tenten nodded her approval. "Ok, so what do you think, quick three kunai, one to the neck, one to the heart and the other to the head just in case?"

"All right, let me get in a position to move to engage the other two first though. We won't have much time once their teammate is dropped out of the picture." With that, he leapt off into the trees and moved within 15 meters of their target. He then set off the small trip wire attached to Tenten's finger.

Tenten waited on pins and needles as she waited for the string on her finger to be tightened. When she felt it, she flung the three kunai with deadly accuracy. However as soon as the kunai hit the target, the target was replaced with a block of wood.

Neji saw the jutsu just a fraction too late and severed the string around his finger with chakra. He then jumped up into a nearby tree and activated his Byakugan once more. They were surrounded. Just like their enemies had planned. He sighed with frustration. He screwed up. He found Tenten quickly and darted off to rejoin her.

Tenten felt the string slacken and ripped it off. She then pulled out her hidden bo staff which was hidden in her shirt. She clicked it open and moved from the tree she was in a bit closer to where she saw Neji coming from. She was worried about his safety and her senses were distracted because of it. Every slight push from the breeze sent her head in a blur towards that area. Thus she nearly fell out of the tree when Neji appeared behind her.

"Relax…" 'She is so easily spooked…' Neji thought to himself. "We are surrounded…"

"Oh well that's nice. We fell into their trap. Wonderful… now what?"

Neji sighed. Sometimes he hated how dense Tenten could be. "It's simple. We fight our way out."

Tenten smacked herself mentally. 'Perfect time for a blond moment Tenten good job…' "Ok, so, which one do you want?"

"I got the two up ahead of us. Get the guy behind us." Neji jumped off before she could protest. He didn't want to take any chances. He needed at least one alive and he was the more skilled of the two of them.

Tenten scowled as Neji ran off to fight his opponents. 'What the hell… I will just take care of my opponent and then come to help him! I'll prove to him that I am just as strong as he is!' She took off immediately and threw 4 kunai at her opponent who dodged easily. Well, he wasn't weak, which was to be expected… She closed the distance between them and swung her bo staff as if it weighed nothing. She made a complex spin move and moved to strike her opponent in the chin with the staff. Her little spinning trick worked like a charm, her opponent didn't even see the attack and was sent sailing into the tree behind him. Blood was dribbling olut of his mouth and his arm looked broken. She trusted Neji would get one of them alive for information so she threw 4 senbon and 4 kunai at the prone figure, killing him instantly.

Neji met his two opponents next to a small river and checked his surroundings with his Byakugan. However when his eyes shifted, they attacked him. Stupidly they came right at him. One was dual-wielding katanas, the other a manriki chain. Once they were in range Neji merely began emitting chakra from his entire body as he started to spin. His Hakkeshou Kaiten (Heavenly Whirl) was easily strong enough to send an elephant through a tree, and this was no exception. One of his opponents flipped upwards and crashed through a particularly large branch. His head took most of the force, breaking his neck and severing his spinal cord quite cleanly. The second opponent hit a very large oak and was stopped instantly. Neji was on him in half a second. But that's exactly how long it took for an explosive tag to activate.

Tenten was securing her clean weapons when she heard a deep rumbling. Picturing a large explosion in her mind, Tenten made her way towards the sound as quickly as possible. 'Please… Please be all right…'

She arrived a few minutes later to find Neji lying on his back with his eyes closed. He had tons of small cuts on his arms and leg but it was the wound on his stomach that worried her the most. As she bent down to examine him she felt her eyes getting heavy. She tried to scream but wasn't sure anything escaped her mouth before she passed out.

Neji had used kawarimi (body substitution) to escape from the blast left by his opponent's Kage Bunshin. He chased down his opponent and closed the distance quickly. He sent a quick open palm strike to his opponent's back. "Jyuuken!" His opponent fell forward and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 'Damn… I hate shadow clones…' Suddenly he heard a scream from the area where the explosion had occurred. He turned around quickly and made his way back.

He arrived to find his real opponent with Tenten lying on the ground. Understanding flooded him easily. "You are a genjutsu user… That explains a lot…" His opponent nodded with a sadistic smile and Neji understood what he had done. He had known Tenten was coming and had created an out for him so that he could take her out of the picture. "Unfortunately for you, genjutsu does not work on me…" He launched himself at his opponent and dispatched him quickly with a 4 strikes from Jyuuken. His opponent flew backwards into another tree and coughed up blood. "Now, what did you do to her!" Neji stormed up to him but he had already died. He picked her up and jumped into the trees and returned to his hut.

He set her down on the bed and then talked to Gai and Lee over the radio. He sat down beside her and watched her with a concerned eye.


	3. The Awakening

**A/N: Ok sorry for not updating right away. Usually I write pretty quickly but it appears that Ice Cream is my new brain food, and I was out of it until recently. The other problem was that I wasn't exactly sure what actually happened to Tenten during the fight. So after some research over the different types of Genjutsu from the series, I decided on the one in this chapter. This chapter is a little short comparably but the next one will be nice and long I promise. I should have it done by the middle of next week. Lastly, Thank you for the reviews, I enjoy reading them a lot. Please keep them coming. Enjoy this latest chapter:)**

Recovery

Neji had been sitting beside Tenten for a few minutes when Gai and Lee entered. Lee was extremely angry and had no doubt been told by Gai to be quiet while they were inside. Gai didn't even speak, all he did was motioned with his hand and then left. Neji sighed and looked back to Tenten. He kicked himself mentally for the millionth time before he stood up. 'I was supposed to be there, I could have helped her…' Suddenly the more rational side of Neji's mind kicked in for the first time since his return. 'Why is this affecting me so much? She is my teammate yes, I am disappointed for not taking care of that shinobi correctly but…' '**Come on, you are smart, you know what this means…**' 'No I don't' He told himself. 'This could mean anything… For now… I have to deal with Gai and Lee… My feelings come second…' He sighed as he exited the hut to find Lee practically scorching the earth around him with his anger and Gai with a rare concerned look.

"Neji, what happened?" Gai was being calm, as he usually was when things were still serious. Lee, on the other hand… "YES NEJI, WHAT HAPPENED EXACTLY! HMM! HOW DOES THE GREAT HYUUGA NEJI NOT SAVE HIS OWN TEAMMATE!" Neji merely glared at Lee. He was such an idiot and would never understand things until they had been explained entirely. Unfortunately, until that time, he was a raving lunatic. "Lee!" Gai of course interrupted what seemed to be a very long and drawn rant about how Neji should have been there for Tenten.

Neji's cold stoic face was back, and so was his attitude. "It's quite simple. Three rock shinobi had set up an ambush for us. I noticed it, attempted to counter it, and then we discovered that it was a genjutsu. A very simple one, so simple that I didn't even notice it… We fought them, I took on two, she took on one. I took care of my first opponent and then I chased my second. He had used Kage Bunshin to fool my eyes and had stayed behind. Tenten must have met him there and they fought. Though what exactly happened I don't know. He died before he could tell me what he did…" He stared at Gai behind a mask of indifference while inside, he fought with his own guilt. They would have to go back to Konoha now, and it was all his fault.

Gai sighed. "All right, we can't complete this mission at this time. We will take Tenten back to Konoha so she can be treated. I will carry her back." He started to enter the hut but then he stopped and turned around. "Neji, it wasn't your fault. SPRING TIME OF YOUTH!"

Neji cringed internally. Gai had seen through his mask, and had returned to his normal psycho self in under 2 seconds, which did not bode well for his ears. Lee on the other hand was still very angry. He wasn't yelling anymore but still gave off an aura of deep loathing and disappointment. Neji ignored him as he checked his own small wounds and re-secured his equipment. Gai came out a minute later with Tenten on his back, still unconscious. "All right, Let's go!" They all took off, Neji staying behind slightly, so he could take up his rear guard post as usual, but also to distance himself from the others in order to think in peace.

The team arrived in Konoha a few hours later to find the village bathed in darkness. Neji had wrestled with his confused mind for over half the day and had arrived at no conclusion. He was broken out of his reverie by Gai when he spoke up. "I will take Tenten to get treatment. Lee, go home, get some rest. Neji you will come with me." Lee nodded with approval and headed off to his home. He still seemed to be sulking but he also seemed to be more normal than he had been all day. Neji nodded his approval and followed Gai to the hospital.

They arrived at the hospital a few minutes later and were greeted by an agitated looking Hokage. "How is she?" Gai spoke up immediately. "She is still unconscious. I am not sure exactly what happened, but Neji..." Tsunade immediately rounded on Neji. "What happened!" She was getting agitated and it showed. Neji merely looked at the woman with helplessness. "I am not sure. I wasn't there. I do know she was fighting a genjutsu user though…" Tsunade merely nodded her approval and took her from Gai easily. She then brought her into an emergency treatment room and closed the door.

Neji sat down in a nearby chair and rubbed his temples. He was worried about Tenten but he was also worried about himself. He had no idea what was going on inside his head and he hated being left in the dark, especially when it involved him. Neji hid his unease behind his normal stoic face, however he was a bit too slow. Gai had noticed. He sat down beside Neji and scratched his head.

"Neji, things happen on missions, there wasn't anything you could do…" Neji looked to his team leader and teacher. He was generally concerned, he wasn't overly loud, he was well normal… 'Maybe Gai can be a normal person…' "I know that, I just… I can't explain it. I am worried about Tenten, but I know she will be fine. I am a little guilty that I wasn't there to help her but that isn't what's bothering me…" Gai turned to Neji. He usually was very quiet, and dealt with his problems on his own. 'I suppose I kind of forced him to talk…' "All right, well I suggest you go home and get some rest. I will stay her and keep you and Lee informed. "Hn." Neji was still deep in thought and left without another word. He made his way home despite not watching where he was going at all. He was just staring blankly ahead wrestling with his subconscious. He even ignored Naruto who was trying very desperately to get his attention despite Hinata's futile attempts to keep Naruto quiet.

'What is wrong with me, of course she will be ok…'

'**Its not that she won't be ok, you are just trying to run from the truth…'**

'No I am not, I just…'

'**You just what? Hmm? You are trying to run away from what you really feel.'**

'What feelings! I don't really feel anything!'

'**Just because you are a shinobi doesn't mean you don't have emotions…'**

'I am a Hyuuga, I don't have time for feelings…'

'**Yes, you are a Hyuuga, now make your clan proud and put your mind at rest!'**

'You are my mind…'

'**Exactly, you are arguing with yourself and you are losing!'**

'What do you want me to do?'

'**Its not what I want, its what you want…'**

Neji sighed as he finally reached the Hyuuga compound. He wasn't finding any answers inside himself at the moment and it frustrated him. He walked into his bedroom and jumped on to his bed. He lay there for about an hour before sleep finally over took him.

_He was sitting in the hospital. Hokage-sama came out with a grave look. She walked over to the remaining members of Team Gai. "I am afraid, she won't be able to recover from the damage that her mind sustained... If she survives she will have to live here, on life support machines. However, the chance that will happen is very low..."_

Neji awoke with sweat slowly trickling down his face. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he realized it was just a dream. He laid back down on his back and stared at the white ceiling of his room. 'Ok, maybe I do feel something else for her…' He shook his head. 'No! It would be bad for the team… I wouldn't be focused on any missions…' He got up out of his bed and walked to one of his large windows. He then began to think about Tenten herself. 'She is one of the strongest kunoichi of Konoha, she is mature, and isn't boy-crazy, and she knows the importance of training… Not to mention the fact that she is absolutely beau…' The more sensible part of his mind woke back up again almost immediately. 'No, she is a teammate, a friend, and a sparring partner, nothing more!' He stared out at the cool night sky and looked to the stars. He sighed. He knew the only way to come up with an answer was to meditate.

A few minutes later he was outside, fully clothed, and under a tree. He closed his eyes and calmed his breathing down. His heartbeat calmed into almost a sleep state as he reflected on what he should do.

Two and a half hours later, Neji opened his eyes. The sun had been up for a while but it was still very early. He stood up and stretched. It took about ten minutes of meditating for him to come to grips with the fact that he felt something more than just comradeship. However, what he should do about it took a lot a longer. He stretched his back one last time and set off towards the hospital. It may have taken him over two hours, but Neji had a plan.

Neji slid the door to Tenten's room open quietly and was surprised to find Hokage-sama and Haruno Sakura checking on Tenten who appeared to be sleeping. The elderly hokage (Though she didn't look a day over thirty) turned to Neji and smiled. "She'll be fine. She just needs some rest. Her mind took a lot of damage. She should be up in a day or so." With that she and Sakura left Neji alone with her. Neji sat down at a chair near her bed and looked at her peaceful sleeping form. 'Well, now to wait for her to waked up…' Neji looked to the floor and noticed that Tenten's hand was hanging limply off the side of the bed. He picked it up gently and held it for a few moments as he put it back on the bed when a voice made him freeze. "Neji, why are you holding my hand?"


	4. The Confession

**A/N: Ok, I know, I know, please don't yell at me… It is way past the time I said this chapter would be out but I have a good reason for not releasing it for so long. I reworked the hospital scene which I left all of you hanging on last time so many times. The first time I wrote it, it wasn't believable; Neji was too OOC for me and Tenten seemed like Sakura, not Tenten… This chapter is much shorter than the others for a few reasons. It's the second to last chapter in this fic, thus it is short to keep the last chapter very interesting. I swear to you the last chapter will be excellent and it shouldn't take me too long to write it either. Lastly thank you for the reviews yet again. Constructive criticism is always a help and thank you for whoever gave me that because I think you are right, it is easier to read. Anyway, so after about a week or so of revisions, here it is Chapter 4! Enjoy! **

The Confession

"Neji, why are you holding my hand?"

'Shit…' Neji quickly let go of her hand and looked to Tenten who was blushing slightly but had a stern look on her face. His mind reeled as he tried to think up some sort of excuse. After a second or two of struggling with it he decided on the only thing that wasn't an outrageous lie.

"Your arm was hanging off of your bed, so I just thought I would put it back on it." He quickly looked to the floor to recollect his thoughts. Within moments his icy exterior had been replaced and he looked as though nothing had happened.

"Oh, well… Thank you…" She didn't know why she was blushing but she fought hard to suppress it. 'He is just concerned because we are teammates… that's all…' She looked to her hands as silence enveloped the two of them. She looked back to Neji to find him a bit of sorrow behind his cold expression.

"Tenten, I am sorry… I should have been there… I let the team down and I…" He stopped himself short. He couldn't bring himself to say it, no matter how much he had planned it out. 'Well, I guess actually doing it is harder than I thought…'

"And you what?" Tenten was curious now and wanted to know what he had failed to say.

Neji looked to the window. He was trying to bring himself to say it; however his heart was wrestling with his worries and his mind, but they say the heart is the strongest muscle. "I let… you get hurt…" Apparently, they were right.

The heat was starting to return to her face but she ignored it. "It's ok, we all make mistakes. Don't be yourself up too hard, or you won't leave anything left for me to train with." She smiled at him which was returned by his trademark smirk. "Now get me my clothes, I need to make up for lost training time."

Neji sighed. He never argued with Tenten when she got like this. It was safer, and less of a hassle for him. He walked over to the wardrobe on the far wall and tossed her clothes to her. "I will meet you at the training grounds in ten minutes." He walked out of the hospital room not waiting for her answer.

'Normal Neji, a good sign…' She thought to herself as she got dressed. Within 5 minutes she had arrived at the training grounds to find Neji waiting impatiently.

"Come." His stance changed immediately and his Byakugan was activated.

She grinned and flung an array of weapons at him which included three kunai, six senbon, a kama, and a katana. Neji dodged the kunai and senbon easily. The kama caught him off guard a little but he caught it with relative ease and had just enough time to block the katana shooting at him like a spear. It always amazed him how she hid so many weapons in what looked like a normal outfit.

However, he wasn't able to contemplate the katana for long; Tenten had used the large weapon as a way to close the distance between them. She used another katana and swung at his head. Neji smirked. "Why in the world would you get closer to me in a spar?"

Tenten's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. 'Damn it!' She winced as she felt him hit a tenketsu in her wrist, making her drop the katana. He then moved in for the finishing blow, using his palm to channel his chakra into his attack. He stopped a few inches short of chest, not wanting to do real damage. "Why did you stop? You never hold back…"

"You just got out of the hospital. I would rather make sure you are perfectly healthy before I start attacking you fully again…" He turned around to find a very irate Tsunade and Sakura who were standing in front of an ecstatic Lee and Gai.

"Hyuuga-san!" Tsunade's voice was like nails on a chalkboard when she was angry. "What do you think you are doing? You do not help a patient sneak out of the hospital to go training!"

Neji moved his finger once to stop her as he noticed Tenten open her mouth to protest. "With all due respect Hokage-sama, if I didn't help her; she could have re-injured herself in the process. I want my sparring partner to be in top form. You understand don't you?" He had remained completely calm which sometimes caused people to calm down. Most of the time, it just made them angrier. Fortunately, it was the former rather than the latter.

Tsunade did calm down a little bit and finally let Lee and Gai go bounding past her to greet Tenten in a way the green clad idiots had patented. "TENTEN!" Lee closed the distance first and hugged her fiercely, causing her to cough from the force of it.

"Lee! Air! I need air!" She panted as he let go of her to make way for Gai who struck his nice guy pose.

"Our Konoha flower lives again! May the springtime of youth always protect you!" Tenten nodded as she smiled. Lee and Gai were always something to rely on, they were always weird.

Tsunade motioned to Sakura and began walking back to her office. "Tenten, you are recovering still, no hardcore training for two days."

Gai spoke up immediately after. "To celebrate Tenten's recovery we will be training!" Tsunade nearly fell over. "We shall embark upon a team bonding trip! We shall go camping!" Tsunade recovered and sighed as she continued back to her office. Whether it was Gai, Jiraiya, or Kakashi, one of them would give her a heart attack eventually…

All of Team Gai had arrived at their designated camping spot in the southern half of the fire country. Neji and Lee had done their normal shelter building contest and had finished just as the rain had started. Neji and Tenten retreated to their ground hut which was furnished for two people not just one, while Lee and Gai retreated to their normal tree house.

Tenten was sharpening her weapons on the bed while Neji sat on the floor meditating against the wall. Tenten looked to Neji and grinned. She threw a kunai just above his head, hoping to catch him off guard. It landed with a thunk in the wall, but of course, Neji didn't even move.

"Please don't damage the hut Tenten, it's a pain to build them…" She frowned. He could be such a killjoy sometimes.

"Hey Neji?"

"Hn."

"Do you… ever think about anything except training and missions?"

He raised an eyebrow in response. "What brought this on?"

She shrugged, forgetting his eyes were closed. "I don't know, I was just wondering…" She figured the conversation was over but was surprised when he spoke up again.

"Yah… occasionally…"

Tenten remained silent as she continued sharpening her kunai. "Neji, thanks."

"Hn."

Tenten sighed. 'Wonderful he is in one of those moods. Yet again, the two of us are alone. Yet I still can't seem to find the courage to tell him…'

"Tenten, why don't you tell me what's on your mind?" Neji opened his eyes as he spoke, giving her his full attention.

She sighed. Here was her chance, yet she couldn't bring herself to do it. "I… Neji… I… love you…" Her face was as red as a tomato and she looked to the ground.

Neji sighed to try and control his own breathing and heart rate. He closed his eyes for a few moments and opened them again as he was about to respond. However the look on her face stopped him. She had tears running down her cheeks and her hands were clenched and shaking. His face showed no emotion though he was confused and shocked and couldn't even say anything.

The tears were now flowing unobstructed as she realized he was just an idiot, a cold, stern idiot who would never care for anyone besides himself. "You know you could say something!" She ran out of the hut as she started to sob. She jumped off into the trees and sped off into the darkness of the rain and the forest.


	5. The End

**A/N: Ok, well, here it is. The last chapter of this fic which took a hell of a lot longer than I wanted it too, but it is finally finished. Thank you to everyone for all the reviews, this little project helped me get through my stupid summer of being grounded. This last chapter is short, but I like it, I think it was a good ending for the story. Please feel free to review, I like to read them in my spare time. Anyways, here is your final chapter for Scare in the Rain. Enjoy:)**

The End

Neji stood in shock as Tenten dashed out of their small hut. He was confused, shocked, angry, happy, and sad, all at the same time. His face, of course, did not show any signs of then turmoil that was going on inside of him. It took him a good five minutes before what had transpired actually made its way past his icey exterior and into his thick skull. Of course, Neji being Neji, did not act right away. Unfortunately for him, it was another five minutes before what he had to do also worked its way into his head. He ran out of the hut and into the rain at top speed, and for the first time in his life, he looked like he was having a panic attack.

Tenten had been running for a few minutes when she fell for the first time. The tears from her eyes and the rain had made it practically impossible for her to see. By the time she finally stopped ten minutes after leaving the hut, she had scrapes along her arms legs and face as well as a large bruise on her knee from when she fell.

She found a large oak tree with a deep well in the base of its trunk. It was surprisingly spacious. She hugged her knees to her chest as she tried to keep warm. She leaned up against the inside of the tree as she thought back to what had just happened.

'How could of I have been so stupid! Did I really think he would all of a sudden confess his undying love for me! It's Neji for crying out loud!'

She put her head on her arms as she continued to cry silently.

'Still, it would have been nice if he had…'

Neji had been chasing Tenten for five minutes using his Byakugan before he stopped took to think for a minute. The truth was that he didn't know which way she had gone. However, even with his extreme sight radius, he couldn't seem to find her. He jumped off the branch he was sitting on as he began to look for her again.

Tenten had now spent about an hour under the tree. The rain was still coming down hard and the sun was beginning to set. She started shivering as the temperature began to drop. She went outside to head back when she realized that she had no idea where she was. She went back inside of the tree and curled up, trying to warm herself up.

'Great, no one knows where I am, its pouring rain, its getting dark, and I am soaking wet…'

Neji was about to go back and get help from Gai and Lee when he found her. She had taken refuge under a large oak tree. He marveled at her knack for finding the most miniscule details of things around her. He landed on the ground a few yards and walked towards the tree slowly. He poked his head in and finally found his voice.

"Tenten…"

Tenten lifted her head out of her arm and looked to him. He was soaking wet and he looked tired. But, she could see that he was relieved, though at the time she was still too angry with him to really care.

"Go away…"

Neji sighed as he stepped in. Tenten was sitting in the middle of the space, thus he was a little cramped, but she didn't move so he was comfortable.

"Tenten…listen…"

"Why!" Her frustration was clear as tears began to well up.

"I listened to you…"

She was about to yell at him again when she realized what he had said which stopped her.

"I am sorry, I…" He was at a loss for words. Everything he wanted to say kind of welled up into his head and tried to force its way out at the same time.

"You What!" The tears were streaming down her face uninhibited now, but she still didn't want to give him the time he needed to talk.

"You know, you can…!" She was interrupted when he had moved quickly and swiftly.

Neji had heard his uncle say that actions spoke louder than words when he was dealing with his business associates. Though this was hardly a business transaction but he figured it applied, despite that. He had made a sound but had quickly wrapped Tenten in a tight hug. He had pulled her close to him so that her head was up against his chest. He rested his head on top of hers.

"I am so sorry, you caught me off guard and I didn't know how to respond… I just… I couldn't believe that something that wonderful had actually happened to me."

Tenten's eyes widened in surprise as Neji spoke. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I thought… that you didn't…"

Neji smiled for real, for the first time in years.

"I did, I just didn't know I did…"

She wedged her head out from under his and looked into his clear white eyes. His pupils were barely discernible even when she was so close, but she liked them. It felt like his eyes were the source of all of his being, his real self, not the façade that he put up for everyone.

"I should have said this earlier but, Tenten, I love you too."

It was then, that for the first time, Tenten saw Neji's smile. She returned his smile and buried her face in her chest as she hugged him tightly again.

"You aren't shivering anymore…" He was still holding her close but she realized he was right. His warmth and the relief that her feelings weren't just scoffed at helped warm her up considerably. She looked outside and noticed that the sun had begun peaking through the clouds.

"It's not raining anymore." She was slightly disappointed. She knew what he would say and she wanted to stay alone with him.

"We should head back, Gai and Lee will be worried…" He looked to her and realized why she sounded disappointed. "Don't worry, I am not going anywhere."

Tenten smiled as she realized what Neji meant as they left the large oak hand in hand.


End file.
